Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review

Harmonic Oscillator Wave Functions

I. R. Senitzky

Published Sep 1, 1954• 45 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A harmonic oscillator wave packet which oscillates sinusoidally without change in shape has been described by Schr\"odinger and others. It is shown in the present note that there are an infinite number of such wave packets---of which the above is a special one-having the shapes of the various eigenfunctions of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian. The relation of these wave packets to the classical oscillator is discussed.

DOI
10.1103/physrev.95.1115

Related papers

Harmonic Oscillator Wave Packets

Saul T. Epstein

Time-dependent operators are used to find harmonic oscillator wave packets which oscillate without change in shape. The results are in agreement with those of Senitzky and others. Some useful averages are computed for these packets and some comments are made on the classical limit.

American Journal of Physics•May 1, 1959•11 citations

Almost-periodic wave packets and wave packets of invariant shape

Detlef Mentrup, Marshall Luban

Wave packets of one-dimensional, single-particle quantum systems exhibit a rich diversity of dynamical behavior. We focus on confining potentials where the entire energy spectrum is discrete so that wave packets do not spread indefinitely with time and instead exhibit characteristics of almost-periodic functions. For the harmonic oscillator, for which all wave packets are necessarily strictly periodic, Senitzky has shown that is possible to construct an infinite class of normalized wave packets that maintain a fixed shape while oscillating sinusoidally with time. We present two alternate and instructive methods for deriving this result using coherent states and the displacement operator.

American Journal of Physics•May 12, 2003•3 citations

Wave packets of a harmonic oscillator with various degrees of rigidity

Qiong-Gui Lin

The time evolution of wave packets in a harmonic oscillator potential is studied. Some new results for the most general case are obtained. A natural number, called ``degree of rigidity'', is introduced to describe qualitatively how much the shape of a wave packet is changed with time. Two classes of wave packets with an arbitrarily given degree of rigidity are presented.

arXiv:quant-ph/0208106•Aug 15, 2002•0 citations

The Harmonic Oscillator

Rocco Schiavilla

The lowering, raising, and number operators are defined and their properties are studied; the eigenfunctions of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian are derived; coherent or quasi-classical states are obtained and their properties examined. Several applications are discussed, including, among others, the isotropic harmonic oscillator in N dimensions and a model for a one-dimensional crystal.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Dec 5, 2024•0 citations

Wave Functions of a Harmonic Oscillator

Jerzy F Plebanski

By means of some special unitary operators, theorems are obtained extending classical properties of of Kennard's packets (classical motion of the center, and periodic time-depencence of $\ensuremath{\Delta}x$) over all solutions of the oscillator wave equation. These results are also generalized for the quantum field theory. Using a special "functional representation," nonspreading wave packets with classical properties are given for a general free field.

Physical Review•Mar 15, 1956•52 citations

Simple approach to the time evolution of wave packets in a harmonic oscillator potential

Qiong-Gui Lin

A simple approach is presented to calculate the explicit time dependent wave functions of some wave packets in a harmonic oscillator potential. In this approach no knowledge on special functions is needed.

College Physics•Jan 1, 2003•0 citations
A harmonic oscillator wave packet which oscillates sinusoidally without change in shape has been described by Schr"odinger and others. It is shown in the present note that there are an infinite number of such wave packets---of which the above is a special one-having the shapes of the various eigenfunctions of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian. The relation of these wave packets to the classical oscillator is discussed.
Wave packets of one-dimensional, single-particle quantum systems exhibit a rich diversity of dynamical behavior. We focus on confining potentials where the entire energy spectrum is discrete so that wave packets do not spread indefinitely with time and instead exhibit characteristics of almost-periodic functions. For the harmonic oscillator, for which all wave packets are necessarily strictly periodic, Senitzky has shown that is possible to construct an infinite class of normalized wave packets that maintain a fixed shape while oscillating sinusoidally with time. We present two alternate and instructive methods for deriving this result using coherent states and the displacement operator.